Missionaries—What Should They Be?
THE word “missionary” can evoke strong emotions. In some people, it inspires admiration, calling to mind individuals like Mother Teresa or the late Albert Schweitzer.
In contrast, others react with indifference, disgust, or even anger when the subject of missionaries is broached. To them the word suggests mental manipulation and conjures up visions of colonialism.
As regards missionaries, an appropriate question is, Have they been agents of light or agents of darkness?
What Is a Missionary?
A missionary is defined as “a person undertaking a mission,” that is to say, undertaking “a ministry commissioned by a religious organization to propagate its faith or carry on humanitarian work.”
The basis for Christian missionary work was provided by Jesus Christ when he told his followers: “Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations.” This necessitates preaching the Christian message in the entire world.—Matthew 28:19.
Jesus himself was a missionary, sent by his Father, Jehovah, from heaven to a foreign assignment, the earth. (Philippians 2:5-8) Logically, a Christian missionary should closely follow the example set by Jesus Christ. A first-century missionary who did just that was the apostle Paul, who became a model for subsequent Christian missionaries to imitate.—1 Corinthians 11:1.
Although sympathetic to the social problems plaguing humankind, Jesus did not give top priority to solving them while on earth. To have done so would only have brought temporary relief at best. (John 6:26, 27; 12:8) Something else was of greater importance. “For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world,” Jesus told Pilate, “that I should bear witness to the truth.” The value of having a knowledge of such truth cannot be overemphasized, as Jesus had earlier stated in prayer: “This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.”—John 17:3; 18:37.
Have Christendom’s missionaries measured up to the example set by Jesus? Have they proved to be agents of light as he was, reflecting the light of God’s Word, the knowledge of which leads to everlasting life? Or have they left the people in darkness? The answer to these questions should be of interest to all of us because the fruitage produced by professed Christian missionaries over the centuries helps us to identify true religion, as well as false religion. Awake! is therefore pleased to announce that it will give this subject in-depth coverage in its next five issues.
How Have Missionaries Measured Up?
Missionaries have made valuable contributions in spreading Christ’s message. For example, some have translated the Bible into local languages, thus enabling people to read it for themselves.
Nowadays, however, it appears that some missionaries feel meeting social needs should take precedence over the endeavors of preaching or translating. An article in Time magazine entitled “The New Missionary” noted: “Among Protestants, there has been a shift toward greater involvement with the basic economic and social problems of the people the missionaries are trying to reach.” As for Catholics, the head of Jesuit missions sent from the United States said that the sharing of Christian beliefs “has taken second place to being of service to human beings.” And a Catholic mission secretary argued: “In the past, we had the so-called motive of saving souls. . . . Now, thanks be to God, we believe that all people and all religions are already living in the grace and love of God and will be saved by God’s mercy.”
Does this mean that there is no longer any need for teaching God’s Word as Jesus did?
Is There Still a Need?
In 1985 some 18,000 households in Hamburg, Germany, were telephoned by several hundred volunteers in what a newspaper called a “mass missionary work by telephone.” It evidently bore little fruitage. Last December The European wrote: “The Protestant church in Germany . . . has seen attendances fall by more than 500,000 since 1991.”
A shrinking flock is not unique to German churches. Millions of people worldwide have turned their back on religion, no longer considering it relevant to life in the down-to-earth 1990’s. But a knowledge of Christianity is vital if we are to cope successfully with the darkness of today’s world and are to be sustained by the hope of a better world for the future. Jesus’ command to make disciples of people of all the nations is a valid way of filling an urgent need.
Jesus Christ meant Christian missionaries to be agents of light, not agents of darkness. How have Christendom’s missionaries measured up? What pattern have they followed?
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